Chief executive Scot Gardiner insists Caley Thistle are as good as anyone in the Championship and praised boss Billy Dodds for leading a late promotion charge.
Six wins and a draw from their last seven Championship games means victory against Ayr United on Friday night will guarantee a promotion play-off position.
This massive target comes just six days after Inverness beat Falkirk 3-0 to reach the Scottish Cup final where Celtic await back at Hampden on June 3.
A campaign hampered hugely by key injuries has turned into one of real hope, but only if the fifth-placed side can beat Ayr on Friday to reach the play-off quarter-finals from Tuesday onwards.
Before their sensational run of form, in late February ICT were seventh and were as high as third a fortnight ago.
🔜 We're back in league action this week as we face @AyrUnitedFC at the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night
Get behind the team this Friday for another big match! 🔴🔵
Tickets cheaper if bought before 3hrs before kick-off!
Info👉 https://t.co/dRlBiRfh06 pic.twitter.com/sNqowiCbCR
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) May 1, 2023
Their potential opponents will only be known once the dust settles on what is sure to be a dramatic final evening of action in this year’s Championship.
We believed – and Dodds’ team rose
Gardiner explained the response to a slip-up against Queen’s Park in March has been vital to resurrecting their step-up bid.
He said: “All the focus is on Friday.
“Huge credit has to go to Billy, his coaches, and his team. We have always said, and felt, if we had our full team available, we’re at least as good as anyone else in this league and possibly better.
“While we believed that, it still had to translate into victories.
“When we lost 2-1 to Queen’s Park, it was the best we had played against them all season.
“We couldn’t believe we’d lost. Five mad minutes cost us and we thought our chances might have gone.
“Since then, we’ve never looked back, and Billy and his team deserve all the credit for taking us to this point. We still have this one big game to go on Friday night.
“All the games we’ve had against Ayr United have been good and really close. It will be worth watching for anyone going.”
Let’s give ourselves chance to win cup
Reports suggest Inverness will score at least £1million for reaching the Scottish Cup final.
Gardiner says, while the income will be welcome, getting their hands on the trophy, as the club did in 2015, is what matters most.
He said: “I won’t comment on the (financial numbers), although we have a fair idea. We can’t ignore the fact that this will give us a financial lift.
“But it’s really about the glory. Reaching the final is fantastic, but (financially) there’s not a lot of difference between winning it and losing it.
“Now it is about ‘how can we give Billy the best chance of winning it?’, we’re looking at preparations, but that will obviously be affected by what happens on Friday night, because of the consequences of winning or not winning on Friday.
“The Scottish Cup is about the glory. The chairman (Ross Morrison) was not in tears on Saturday and myself, (director) Graeme Bennett hugging the life out of one another because we were thinking about money – we’re thinking about being in the Scottish Cup final – it’s fantastic.
“That’s what the game is all about. That’s when all the grief, worry and sleepless nights make it worthwhile. When the final whistle blew on Saturday, it was fantastic.”
🔴🔵 It was a memorable day at Hampden for @ICTFC, as they booked their place in the 2023 Men's Scottish Cup Final.
This is the story of the Semi-Final.#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/tsnBPc498u
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) May 1, 2023
Falkirk and ICT impress in cup
As Inverness aim to combine a promotion push with a stunning final triumph over red-hot favourites Celtic next month, Gardiner praised ICT and beaten semi-finalists Falkirk, for achieving such an impressive track record in the competition.
He added: “I was speaking to my opposite number at Falkirk, Jamie Swinney, and he was saying they have reached six Scottish Cup semi-finals since the late 1990s and we’ve been five times since 2002/03.
“That is quite astonishing for two teams of our size to have achieved that, while not having straightforward or easy periods within that timescale.
“I think we worked it out that, between the two clubs, we’d reached 11 Scottish Cup semi-finals since the late 90s and we’ve made it to two finals in eight years.
“Look at Dundee, for example, who haven’t been in the final since 2003. My mates, who are Dundee fans, have been winding me up, because they’re going for the league title on Friday, but I said I’d send them a map to Hampden.
“To reach the Scottish Cup final again is a remarkable achievement for everyone and I’m delighted.”
🏆 The @ScottishCup Final is set!
We will face @CelticFC at Hampden Park on Saturday 3rd June. Full Fixture and Ticketing Info TBC. pic.twitter.com/LoKfNfT1la
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) April 30, 2023
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